READ ME NOTES


Reading the information contained in this document will assist you in understanding the 
content of the files related to the Child Welfare Outcomes and Measures.
These files are available for downloading.  To download them, depending on your browser, 
with your pointer on a file name, right click your mouse and you should be given a option to 
"save link as" or "save target as" and either option will provide the opportunity to download the 
file. 

All files with an "Sps" extension are programming/syntax files written in a statistical 
package language, "Statistical Package for the Social Sciences" (SPSS).  While you may not use 
SPSS these files will provide the logic and calculation methods used in generating 
the "Outcomes".

Also, the following information will define the shorthand used in naming derived variables 
in the programming/syntax (primarily the file "CWOMeasures):

Shorthand       Definition
(Derived 
 variable 
 name)

LOS             Length of Stay in Foster Care

Entry           Entry into Foster Care

Eage            Age at Removal or Entry into Foster Care

Setage          Age when entered a FC setting
 
Newset          Current FC Placement Setting 

TimeRE          Time to Re-Entry into Care

Also, the documents, AdoptCodeBook.doc and FCCodebook.doc will provide the translation of the 
AFCARS variable names and those names used in the programming/syntax (i.e., clindis (used in 
programming/syntax) translates in AFCARS as the variable, "Has Child been diagnosed with clinicall disabilities?).

In calculating time related variables, a year is 365.25 days and a month is 30.4375 days.

 365
 365
 365
+366 (Leap Year)

1461/4=365.25 days

365.25/12=30.4375 days

In the outcome measures children who discharge to "Live with Other Relative(s)" are included 
with children who discharge to "Reunification".

In many of the files with an "sps" extension numbers are used to represent dates.
For Example:

This creates a file of children who exited care during FY 1998 (found in the file 
"PointinTime"):

FILTER OFF.
USE ALL.
SELECT IF(YRMODA(dodfcyr,dodfcmo,dodfcda) <= 151927 "<--This number represents 9/30/98").
EXECUTE .
FILTER OFF.
USE ALL.
SELECT IF(YRMODA(dodfcyr,dodfcmo,dodfcda) >= 151563 "<--This number represents 10/1/97").

Lastly, the basic logic followed in generating outcome measures 3 thru 7 is that an annual/FY
file of children served is created from AFCARS data, then the "PointinTime" file is used to 
create various files, i.e., children who exited care during the FY, who entered care, etc.  
The "CWOMeasures" file utilizes these files to generate the outcome measures. 

The same logic is followed in creating the "Child Welfare Context Data" information.